Nordie Students

[Baile Brigín 2]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c626xq2n2jxo

Only 213 students from the 6 took up college places in the south in 2025? I find that hard to believe. Has that trended down? I knew 200 nordies 20 years ago in university.

That said I only know 1 person from the south who did a degree up north.

The points piece is interesting but it has always been the way that we do 7/8 Leaving Cert subjects and in the 6 3 A Levels. Why is this now a thing?

The article is a bit of a mess, Galway is too expensive so I am off to London,the CAO system is too complicated but if you spend time figuring it out it's easier and so on.

[Milltown Row2]

Didn't read the article but a friend of mine his daughter wanted to go to Trinity or UCD not sure which one, but he said that she could only get in if there was any spaces available after the locals took theirs..

Purely anecdotal, just in case   

[gallsman]

Accommodation costs surely a huge part of it as well.

[Baile Brigín 2]

Didn't read the article but a friend of mine his daughter wanted to go to Trinity or UCD not sure which one, but he said that she could only get in if there was any spaces available after the locals took theirs..

Purely anecdotal, just in case   

Not true. They (as with any 'foreign' students) apply using the same process, just the points are calculated differently.

I understand that it's the other way round with conditional offers prior to the exams

[Baile Brigín 2]

Accommodation costs surely a huge part of it as well.

I get Coleraine is cheaper than Cork, but that doesn't explain why some students go to London or Edinburgh instead.

[lurganblue]

Accommodation more expensive in the south yeah, but the fees are almost half. 

[marty34]

The timing of results is the key thing.

Students get their results in north a lot earlier therefore, they take the courses offered to them asap. Basically first come first serve rather than wait for offers from the south.

That way they can get sorted re: accomodation etc.

University fees are cheaper in south but finding a place to stay and living costs are a lot higher obviously.

[Baile Brigín 2]

The timing of results is the key thing.

Students get their results in north a lot earlier therefore, they take the courses offered to them asap. Basically first come first serve rather than wait for offers from the south.

That way they can get sorted re: accomodation etc.

University fees are cheaper in south but finding a place to stay and living costs are a lot higher obviously.

So if you accept the place in the north or Britain you have to pay up? Makes more sense, but I am still flabbergasted that only 200 nordies take places. That's a quarter of a percent of the 80,000 1st year college places

[armaghniac]

Accommodation more expensive in the south yeah, but the fees are almost half. 

And much less than half when compared to England.

The results thing is a definite issue, as Leaving Cert results in the 26 counties have been greatly delayed in recent years.

But it is down to poor career guidance in many cases. You get people who will apply to TCD and UCD, but not to DCU, Maynooth or TUID, Sliog or Letterkenny, and will then pay €9000 to go to some ex polytech in England.

[Milltown Row2]

Maybe the uncertainty of getting the course you want due to the timing the cost of living and being classed as a foreigner is keeping people from the north of the island away..

[armaghniac]

Maybe the uncertainty of getting the course you want due to the timing the cost of living and being classed as a foreigner is keeping people from the north of the island away..

Nobody is classed as a foreigner. Some people would be uncertain about their course, but if their grades are well clear of the points required that uncertainty is largely hypothetical.

[Milltown Row2]

Irish students and other EU applicants receive priority for college places via the CAO system, as places are allocated based on Leaving Certificate points rather than residency, and CAO offers are designed to give applicants their highest preference possible.

Key details regarding preference and placement:Highest Preference First:

In Round One, students are offered the highest preference course for which they are eligible.


Preference System: Students list courses in order of preference (1 to 10) on their CAO application. If they receive their first choice, no further offers are made.

EU Status Priority: Applicants from the EU/EEA, including Irish students, are treated equally and have first access to places in the CAO system.

High Success Rates: Over half (51%) of applicants in 2025 received their first preference for Level 8 courses, and 80% received one of their top three preferences.

Non-EU students typically apply directly to universities and do not compete for these specific CAO places.

My daughters didn't really look elsewhere and had their sights on, one at Queens the other was just looking to go across to the Uk.

If I had my choice I'd have loved to been at a college in Dublin! But just had enough to get an apprenticeship lol

[Baile Brigín 2]

Irish students and other EU applicants receive priority for college places via the CAO system, as places are allocated based on Leaving Certificate points rather than residency, and CAO offers are designed to give applicants their highest preference possible.

Key details regarding preference and placement:Highest Preference First:

In Round One, students are offered the highest preference course for which they are eligible.


Preference System: Students list courses in order of preference (1 to 10) on their CAO application. If they receive their first choice, no further offers are made.

EU Status Priority: Applicants from the EU/EEA, including Irish students, are treated equally and have first access to places in the CAO system.

High Success Rates: Over half (51%) of applicants in 2025 received their first preference for Level 8 courses, and 80% received one of their top three preferences.

Non-EU students typically apply directly to universities and do not compete for these specific CAO places.

My daughters didn't really look elsewhere and had their sights on, one at Queens the other was just looking to go across to the Uk.

If I had my choice I'd have loved to been at a college in Dublin! But just had enough to get an apprenticeship lol

You think the CAO don't class people from the 6 as Irish?

Read the article. They even tell you how much points an A level is worth.

[Milltown Row2]

Irish students and other EU applicants receive priority for college places via the CAO system, as places are allocated based on Leaving Certificate points rather than residency, and CAO offers are designed to give applicants their highest preference possible.

Key details regarding preference and placement:Highest Preference First:

In Round One, students are offered the highest preference course for which they are eligible.


Preference System: Students list courses in order of preference (1 to 10) on their CAO application. If they receive their first choice, no further offers are made.

EU Status Priority: Applicants from the EU/EEA, including Irish students, are treated equally and have first access to places in the CAO system.

High Success Rates: Over half (51%) of applicants in 2025 received their first preference for Level 8 courses, and 80% received one of their top three preferences.

Non-EU students typically apply directly to universities and do not compete for these specific CAO places.

My daughters didn't really look elsewhere and had their sights on, one at Queens the other was just looking to go across to the Uk.

If I had my choice I'd have loved to been at a college in Dublin! But just had enough to get an apprenticeship lol

You think the CAO don't class people from the 6 as Irish?

Read the article. They even tell you how much points an A level is worth.

I was joking about the foreigner bit

I've read it

[Main Street]

A daughter of mine did 3 years 3rd level in Slovenia a few years ago, the course fees were ridiculously low as a citizen of an eu state. We paid her rent of a roomy single student flat about eur200/month then, and she could manage most of the rest of the living expenses with good summer work at home, savings, birthday gifts and lastly occasional top ups from us. We saved a fortune and she had an adventure of a lifetime.
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